Holcomb Names Teacher Pay Commission Members
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGovernor Eric Holcomb has announced the volunteer members of the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission. The governor’s office says the commission is "tasked with determining what constitutes competitive teacher compensation in Indiana and with providing recommendations for how to achieve it."
The members will gather for an organizational meeting in the near future, according to Holcomb. The commission will be supported by an advisory council that Holcomb’s office says will provide further knowledge and expertise.
The commission members include:
• Chairman Michael Smith (Indianapolis) – former CEO of Mayflower Group and former CFO of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Jená Bellezza (Gary), COO of Indiana Parenting Institute
• Tom Easterday (Zionsville), former senior executive vice president, secretary & chief legal officer for Subaru of Indiana Automotive
• Marianne Glick (Indianapolis), chair of the Eugene & Marilyn Glick Family Foundation
• Bob Jones (Evansville), chairman and CEO of Old National Bancorp
• Katie Jenner (Madison), vice president of K-12 initiatives and statewide partnerships at Ivy Tech
• Nancy Jordan (Fort Wayne), senior vice president of Lincoln Financial Group
The advisory council members include:
• Melissa Ambre (Noblesville), director of the Office of School Finance for the Indiana Department of Education
• Lee Ann Kwiatkowski (Greenwood), senior education advisor to Gov. Holcomb
• Emily Holt (Arcadia), math teacher at Westfield High School
• Dan Holub (Indianapolis), executive director of the Indiana State Teachers Association
• Denise Seger (Granger), chief human resource officer for Concord Community Schools in Elkhart
• David Smith (Evansville), superintendent of Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation
The commission will deliver its recommendations to the governor and the Indiana General Assembly prior to the 2021 legislative session, which will set the state’s biennial budget.
Holcomb first announced plans for the commission last month during his State of the State address. The commission is part of the governor’s plan to address teacher pay, which also includes using money from the state’s reserves to pay off pension liabilities. He says that will save all schools $140 million over two years, which schools can use to boost teacher pay.